Company of Heroes 2 beta now on Steam

[Imp]

I just got the game too. Used up some small BB gift cards from Christmas. I have only played a few skirmishes against the AI so far and am liking the game--pretty much like the other COH games with a nicer interface, graphics and a few new features.

I have to say I dont really feel that the AI is that easy to beat so far. Maybe I just have gotten rusty at the game, but even on Easy the AI just seems to know exactly where to attach or counterattack, and has an amazing amount of resources.

I've been going through the campaign and haven't touched skirmishes yet. Campaign AI on medium is... linear. They just seem to rush straight for you and sometimes dance around my units while being picked off slowly. I can rely on machine guns and mortars to fuxxorz my units though.

After 3 days, I'm having a lot more fun because I know what I'm doing (again) and have more units to access. Artillery seems overpowered -- I can just pound German positions over and over again until nothing is left. Then I send in infantry to mop up the one or two guys remaining.

Russian tanks and mobile assault guns suck against infantry. The T34, SU85, and assault guns don't seem to have machine guns on the base vehicles. I had two assault guns take a few minutes to kill one squad in an urban area; pretty sure those shells were landing close. On the other hand, the anti-aircraft half-track just kills people so easily. I've learned to couple my tanks with light support, anti-personnel vehicles. Infantry support just dies too easily, especially if there's a sniper and I'm not paying attention.

 

[irishScott]

Thing that pisses me off the most about this game is the match making... It's like really you're going put me up against two level 75s both double gold stars from the same clan when I'm level 36 single gold and go ahead and give me a level 26 nothing teammate while you're at it. I was playing soviets too so it's not like there just wasn't any other competition to put me up against.

I'd really they just give me a message like hey maybe you should try again another time if they're going to pull that crap instead of wasting my time matching me.

Well to be fair the "levels" in CoH2 are measures of experience, not win/loss records. As a level 17 Soviet I beat level 50+ Germans easily about as often as not.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Well to be fair the "levels" in CoH2 are measures of experience, not win/loss records. As a level 17 Soviet I beat level 50+ Germans easily about as often as not.

Yea, but I believe the borders around your portrait do represent a skill class (I could be mistaken?) Seems like there's bronze/silver/gold/platinum with a number of stars? It was also arranged team vs random team. Every single metric was stacked against us and badly so.

 

[namtran512]

I don't know what game you're playing, but that simply isn't true. I've taken an SU-85 head-on against a STUG and lost. Barely lost, but lost all the same. They're a waste of fuel. About 90% of the games I won as Soviet involved no non-specialty tanks, because I used the conserved fuel to buy upgrades, build structures and light vehicles to win the early game.

And scout-car sniper only works so well and is easily countered in most maps by proper use of terrain and/or rushing the scout car with 2 or more infantry units.

CoH1 has balance issues, but less serious than this game. Yes US would always lose to PE, because PE was never designed to balance against US. It was released with the Opposing Fronts expansion to counter the Brits. And if you think Brits can't deal with snipers, I've killed more German snipers as British than US. Mortar pits and bren carries make short work of them on their own.

You can't micro your Scoutcar/Sniper combo if you are losing it at all. If you lose it to a Panzerfaust especially after the Panzerfaust nerf of decreased range, you're just a terrible player.


SU-85s beat P4s/Stugs in a 1v1 straight on head fight easy mode. You are straight lying if you are saying otherwise. The Stug got nerfed severely to the point it is a complete glass cannon now, and the P4 although very good still doesn't go toe to toe with a SU-85. SU-85 has a bigger gun (it is comparable to a Panther in statistics look it up), has more health, and more armor than a Stug. In straight 1v1 combat frontal armor vs frontal armor, the SU-85 will blow away a Stug or a P4 due to having a superior gun with more penetration, more health, and more frontal armor.


The fact that you said Brits can counter Wermacht snipers shows how low level your play in COH1 really was. Wermacht owned Britain for free espec in the later patches that made Snipers stronger. Proper Sniper usage and lack of any real hard counters like the American Jeep means that Wermacht can MP bleed the MP reliant Britains into the ground.


Not to mention any complaint of losing 'infantry' wars early is hilarious; Soviet Union outnumbers German Infantry 2:1 in the early game with a fast 4 Conscript opening. In straight 1v1 you have complete domination of the map early and you will never be able to win as a German player due to this. The Soviet player will just snowball his early advantage and blow you to the next century with a combined arms of Guards Rifles/Conscripts with PPSH/SU-85s.

 

[irishScott]

You can't micro your Scoutcar/Sniper combo if you are losing it at all. If you lose it to a Panzerfaust especially after the Panzerfaust nerf of decreased range, you're just a terrible player.


SU-85s beat P4s/Stugs in a 1v1 straight on head fight easy mode. You are straight lying if you are saying otherwise. The Stug got nerfed severely to the point it is a complete glass cannon now, and the P4 although very good still doesn't go toe to toe with a SU-85. SU-85 has a bigger gun (it is comparable to a Panther in statistics look it up), has more health, and more armor than a Stug. In straight 1v1 combat frontal armor vs frontal armor, the SU-85 will blow away a Stug or a P4 due to having a superior gun with more penetration, more health, and more frontal armor.


The fact that you said Brits can counter Wermacht snipers shows how low level your play in COH1 really was. Wermacht owned Britain for free espec in the later patches that made Snipers stronger. Proper Sniper usage and lack of any real hard counters like the American Jeep means that Wermacht can MP bleed the MP reliant Britains into the ground.


Not to mention any complaint of losing 'infantry' wars early is hilarious; Soviet Union outnumbers German Infantry 2:1 in the early game with a fast 4 Conscript opening. In straight 1v1 you have complete domination of the map early and you will never be able to win as a German player due to this. The Soviet player will just snowball his early advantage and blow you to the next century with a combined arms of Guards Rifles/Conscripts with PPSH/SU-85s.

Well obviously I'm just not up to your exalted level of hardcore.

Scout cars have extremely light armor, they can be taken out with rifles, especially on maps that don't provide many clear firing lines or paths of egress. You have to micro the shit out of them to get maximum value, as even veering off a road slightly can slow it down and let enemy infantry catch up and swarm it. They're useful, but not decisive on their own against a competent player.

I'm not lying about the STUG. I stopped playing a few days before the beta ended, maybe they patched things since.

And last I tried it going with 4 conscript squads is an excellent way to waste manpower against a German who knows how to place and support MG42s.

And the Soviets have zero "early advantage" if they fail to take the fuel, which is the only thing this game is about. Hell it should be the tagline. Company of Heroes 2: Capture the Fuel!

 

[GoodRevrnd]

You have to micro the shit out of them to get maximum value.

You have to micro the shit out of almost everything to get maximum value. That's the nature of relic games. Remember American M8 Greyhound rush in CoH1? That was extremely micro intensive. How about the entire Eldar faction in DoW 2? Or Ravener Nids play? Or just utilizing any of your hero units effectively?

And the Soviets have zero "early advantage" if they fail to take the fuel, which is the only thing this game is about. Hell it should be the tagline. Company of Heroes 2: Capture the Fuel!

You mean your tech resource?

Starcraft 2: Expand and Mine Vespene!
DoW 2: Don't Get Gen-Bashed!

 

[namtran512]

Well obviously I'm just not up to your exalted level of hardcore.

Scout cars have extremely light armor, they can be taken out with rifles, especially on maps that don't provide many clear firing lines or paths of egress. You have to micro the shit out of them to get maximum value, as even veering off a road slightly can slow it down and let enemy infantry catch up and swarm it. They're useful, but not decisive on their own against a competent player.

I'm not lying about the STUG. I stopped playing a few days before the beta ended, maybe they patched things since.

And last I tried it going with 4 conscript squads is an excellent way to waste manpower against a German who knows how to place and support MG42s.

And the Soviets have zero "early advantage" if they fail to take the fuel, which is the only thing this game is about. Hell it should be the tagline. Company of Heroes 2: Capture the Fuel!

Look I hate to sound hostile, but seriously you are just showing that you are inept at the game and do not know how to force German players into bad situations. If he's MG spamming, that means he wasted a ton of MP resources into useless units that get utterly countered by Sniper/Scout Car combo. There is nothing the German player can do to counter the Sniper/Scout car combo until they reach their own Vehicles, but by that point they have already lost complete control of the map.

Fail to take the fuel? Did you even play COH1 at a decent level? Against a decent opponent, if you lose both fuel points you autolose the game. Period. No ifs and or buts. This is especially true vs Wermacht where they get their veterancy through fuel and not combat.


And if you're talking about beta when the STUG was actually useful, I guess you forgot that the Russians had a cheap munitions upgrade on their Engineers that basically flat out killed all Infantry in half a second (aka Flamethrower) in the early game.

 

[Imp]

Skirmish levels are a write off.. I know I suck, but holy shit. I can't do shit against a horde of T34s when my co-op AI partner is too stupid to make tanks and only knows how to throw infantry at the enemy.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Skirmish levels are a write off.. I know I suck, but holy shit. I can't do shit against a horde of T34s when my co-op AI partner is too stupid to make tanks and only knows how to throw infantry at the enemy.

Make some Panzer IVs or anti-tank guns or 2-3 panzergrenadiers with panzerschrecks. T34s are pretty weak really.

 

[Imp]

Make some Panzer IVs or anti-tank guns or 2-3 panzergrenadiers with panzerschrecks. T34s are pretty weak really.

Turns out that for that level the only way to win was to butt rush all the points and pump out infantry or support vehicles. The friendly AI was probably programmed to do that only. There was no chance late game because the one time I made it late, I lost the control point game. I think it was the first German skirmish/ historical level.

And Stugs suck... Bad against tanks, just as useless against infantry. However, they cost 25 fuel versus 120 for Panzer IV. I got a group of 3 Panzer IVs going with the machine gun extra and base raped the Russians once. T34s were easy too when going 2 on 1.

 

[Imp]

I gotta stop playing this.. way too much yelling. Let out at least a few dozen "fu**s" over a few hours. Stupid weapons with a limited field of fire won't auto-reposition. I can't brat micromanaging against AI. FML.

 

[irishScott]

Look I hate to sound hostile, but seriously you are just showing that you are inept at the game and do not know how to force German players into bad situations. If he's MG spamming, that means he wasted a ton of MP resources into useless units that get utterly countered by Sniper/Scout Car combo. There is nothing the German player can do to counter the Sniper/Scout car combo until they reach their own Vehicles, but by that point they have already lost complete control of the map.

Fail to take the fuel? Did you even play COH1 at a decent level? Against a decent opponent, if you lose both fuel points you autolose the game. Period. No ifs and or buts. This is especially true vs Wermacht where they get their veterancy through fuel and not combat.


And if you're talking about beta when the STUG was actually useful, I guess you forgot that the Russians had a cheap munitions upgrade on their Engineers that basically flat out killed all Infantry in half a second (aka Flamethrower) in the early game.

Whatever. I've won enough 1v1 quick-matches to not really care about your opinion of my skill. Obviously I'm not anywhere near the best, but I think I'm at least a good representation of the average. The fact that there are more people in this thread agreeing with me than you also speaks to that.

And actually in CoH1 you could lose both fuel for a time, maybe the German player cranks out a panther or two, and by that point you've built up a force to take back said points and kill said panthers. In CoH2, as soon as that first Panzer IV rolls out before late-game, you're done.

Of course, I'm sure the above wouldn't be the case with players of your exalted caliber that have their 3 minute drills down to muscle memory.

 

[Imp]

Well this is retarded... The online game matching servers are down for maintenance. Some genius decided that the skirmish for AI games should also be inaccessible. Trying to set a 'Custom Game' against AI and the 'Start Game' button has a lock on it. F**k off....

 

[Rudee]

Tried it, but went back to COH with the Blitzkrieg mod. COH 2 is too much like Starcraft for me.

 

[thm1223]

I've been enjoying the game's multiplayer, but as an exclusively German player I feel that the Soviet's Guards Riflemen are overpowered as of now. They shred any and all German infantry/light vehicles, so the only way to counter them is with tanks. However, 2-3 squads of guards rifle can slowly whittle down a tank before it forces them to retreat. Furthermore, this is only a viable strategy if the German player has taken and held the fuel since early game. Otherwise you can't even produce enough tanks. And if the Soviets have an equal amount of fuel, they can just create armor or use manpower to produce anti-tank guns and you're screwed.

Does anyone else agree with this, or perhaps disagree? I have yet to find a way to stand my ground let alone counter this strategy, which I've been seeing used more and more often since the last patch.

 

[WT]

Huge CoH2 update available at 3PM PST today - 'Turning Point' brings a whole host of changes and the long awaited World Builder to the game. Turning Point will add two new maps to multiplayer – the industrial environment ‘Rails and Metal,” as well as urban setting, ‘Lazur Factory.’ It will also deliver four new Commanders. There will be two per faction, playable across multiplayer and skirmish modes.

http://www.companyofheroes.com/en_us/turning-point

Also, the input lag that many players have been complaining about is the devs top priority for the next patch, so its nice to see it being patched and supported, but the $4 per commander DLC and the fact that pre-order DCE buyers do not get the latest ToW pack (another $10 US DLC purchase after we paid $100 for the DCE itself) still has many gamers a bit ticked off.

If you haven't played in awhile, the devs continue to refine the balance between German and Soviet sides, but its still easier to win as Germans once you start pumping out armor.

 

[suklee]

Just got the game over the weekend with the Steam sale. It's okay so far, a bit overwhelming with all the stuff that's happening at the same time. There's no German campaign?

 

[WT]

No German campaign. It was to focus on the Russians, but you can play several ToW missions as German (but ToW DLC packs are NOT free - other than Case Blue - my main gripe after forking over $100 for the DCE).

It's a very chaotic game, and watching the micro ability of some top MP gamers will blow your mind. I play against AI only, where it's easier to pace your game and not get crushed as easily. I'm currently a level 91, and doing the looong grind to the capped level 100.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Just got the game over the weekend with the Steam sale. It's okay so far, a bit overwhelming with all the stuff that's happening at the same time. There's no German campaign?

It's politically incorrect to have a WWII Era German Campaign in games, so most Devs tip-toe around the issue or avoid it completely.

I play with a buddy most every day (we play German exclusively) and have had quite a few fun matches. There are constant whines about balance, but that's just because people want an easier "I win" button and don't like differing tactics.

IE people complaining about Panzer Grenadiers...Shock troops (at 0 CP cost) will steamroll a PG squad 1v1...unless you have a nade or something like that.

 

[suklee]

Turns out I bought the pack that included Tales of Valor, so gonna give it a go for the German campaign. Don't think I'll be trying multiplayer for a while.

 

[WT]

If you are playing 'Tales of Valor', which is Company of Heroes 1, make sure to install the 'Eastern Front' mod (free) which adds the Russian faction to that game as well as another German 'Ostheer' faction, giving you a full SIX factions to choose from for that older game.

 

[suklee]

Thanks for the tip! Will check it out.

 

[WT]

Company of Heroes 2 is offering up a free weekend starting now until Sunday @ 4PM. They are offering a 10x XP boost for new players to level up faster.

The game is also 66% off on Steam, down to $13.59 for the standard version.

Linky to Steam sale -> http://store.steampowered.com/app/231430/

 

[shortylickens]

Crap, now its full price. I should have paid attention to this thread.



Anyway, based on all the complaints that the game stinks unless you pay for the DLC, I think I will wait for another sale.

 

[UptheIrons]

Crap, now its full price. I should have paid attention to this thread.



Anyway, based on all the complaints that the game stinks unless you pay for the DLC, I think I will wait for another sale.

BS the game does not stink w/o the DLC. I've won many matches and have not bought any DLC